Insect deflector for automobiles



July 9, 1940. J. HOAG 2,206,956

INSECT DEFLECTOR FOB AUTOMOBILES Filed May 29, 1939 Patented July 9,1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

My invention relates to the art of deflectors to be attached to thefront of an automobile for creating air currents upwardly and over theautomobile windshield. Such devices now in common use are made of metalor other stiff material.

The object of my invention is to provide a deflector of this class to beused as an advertising novelty and made of a flat sheet of cardboardwhich is well adapted for printing or lithographing and which isinexpensive enough for use as an advertising novelty.

More specifically, it is my object to provide simple and inexpensivemeans for strengthening and reinforcing the relatively bendable sheet ofcardboard throughout its entire area so that it will withstand thepressure of air currents when used on an automobile at high speed.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 shows my deflector in the form of a 0 flat sheet. of cardboardbefore being shaped;

Figure 2 shows a similar view shaped and held in its finished form;

Figure 3 shows a transverse sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 shows a transverse sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 shows a longitudinal sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure2;

Figure 6 shows a side view of a portion of an automobile having mydeflector applied thereto; and

Figure 7 clip.

Figure 8 is a detail view of the spring hook for attaching the deflectorto the automobile.

The body ill of the deflector is formed of a sheet of cardboardsubstantially heart-shaped in outline. This material is desirablebecause I am using these deflectors as advertising novelties, andprinting or lithographing may be done on cardboard cheaply andeffectively. I first form weakened lines in the sheet by scoring orbending the sheet along a line H extending from the lower central edgeof the sheet longitudinally to a point near the upper edge, and anotherweakened line I! transversely of the sheet near its upper centralportion.

At the lower side portions of the sheet are the openings iii to receivesupporting hooks.

In the flat state of the sheet of cardboard it is so bendable that itwould not withstand the air shows a perspective view of the metalpressures to which it is subjected when in use,

proper direction as follows: I grasp the sheet at about the location ofthe openings i3 and move the lower side portions of the sheet towardeach other. This automatically produces the following shaping,strengthening and reinforcing. Due to the weakened lines, the lowerlongitudinal central portion is formed into a forwardlyextended ridgel4, and this ridge at its lower end has the adjacent portions of thesheet parallel and in engagement with each other, as shown at I5 inFigure 3. This same movement which makes the ridge I also bends the sideportions of the sheet forwardly, as shown at IS in Fig. 4. At the sametime the entire upper portion of the sheet above the line I! is bentforwardly, as shown at I! in u Fig. 6, forming with the upper portion ofthe ridge ll an obtuse angle, as shown at iii in Fig. 5.

For the purpose of securely holding the sheet in the form just describedI apply a metal clip l9 2:; th; lower portion of the ridge II, as shownin To secure the deflector to an automobile I use the spring hooks 20shown in Fig. 8, and extend the hooks through the openings I3 and arounda part of the autombile grill. These spring hooks are in common use andare well known.

In practice I have demonstrated that the completed cardboard sheet issufiiciently braced and reinforced to withstand the pressures to whichit is subjected when in use; the forwardly extended ridge l4 preventsthe lower portion of the sheet from bending rearwardly or forwardly, theforward curvature of the side edges braces them against bendingrearwardly, the forward bending of the upper portion of the sheet abovethe line I! braces it against bending rearwardly.

All of this shaping is accomplished by first forming the weakened linesI l and I2 and then simply moving the lower side portions of the sheettoward each other and permanently holding them 40 in this position bythe clip l9.

I have demonstrated that the cardboard is so Y inexpensive and theoperations for forming the completed deflectors so simple, that thedeflectors can be successfully produced and distributed as anadvertising novelty.

I claim as my invention:

1. An insect deflector for automobiles, formed of a fiat body portion ofbendable, resilient cardboard or the like, having a weakened line at itslongitudinal center extended to a point slightly spaced from its topedge and another weakened line extended transversely near itsupper edge,the two lowerside portions of the sheet having been forced against theresiliency of the sheet 55 in a direction toward the weakened centralline whereby a ridge is formed having its opposite side members inengagement with each other, and whereby the upright side edge portionsof the sheet are curved outwardly and forwardly and thereby braced bythe resiliency of the sheet against being bent rearwardly by airpressure,

7 and whereby the top edge portion of the sheet above the weakenedhorizontal line is inclined forwardly and thereby braced by theresiliency of the sheet against being bent rearwardly by air pressure,and a metal clip applied to the said ridge for holding the side portionsthereof firmly together.

2. An insect deflector for automobiles, formed of a flat body portion ofbendable, resilient cardboard or the like, the two lower side portionsof the sheet having been forced against the resiliency of the sheet in adirection toward the longitudinal central portion, whereby a ridge isformed having its opposite side members in engagement with each other,and whereby the upright side edge portions of the sheet are curvedoutwardly and forwardly and thereby braced by the resiliency of thesheet against being bent rearwardly by air pressure, and whereby the topedge portion of the sheet is inclined forwardly and thereby braced bythe resiliency of the sheet against being bent rearwardly by airpressure, and a metal clip applied to the said ridge for holding theside portions thereof firmly together.

3. An insect deflector for automobiles, formed of a flat body portion ofbendable, resilient cardboard or the like, the two lower side portionsof the sheet having been forced against the resiliency of the sheet in adirection toward the JAMES I. HOAG. V

